1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feeder belt for strip-shaped parts, and more particularly, to a feeder belt used to feed parts in various processes such as plating and deflashing among processes of manufacturing semiconductors or other devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among conventional feeder belts for strip-shaped parts, there are an integrated type feeder belt in which a belt body is integrally formed with a finger and a separated and coupled type feeder belt in which the belt body is separated from or coupled with the finger. U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,843 is a representative example of the integrated type feeder belt, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,745 is a representative example of the separated and coupled type feeder belt.
In the integrated type feeder belt 1 for strip-shaped parts, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,843, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a belt boy 2 is integrally formed with a finger 3. In the integrated type feeder belt 1, when the finger 3 is damaged or loses elasticity so that the feeder belt 1 cannot be used further because its gripping power necessary for loading the parts 4 is weakened, replacement of the entire feeder belt 1 is necessary because the defective finger 3 cannot be separated and replaced. Since maintenance of the integrated type feeder belt 1 is difficult and its life span is short, it is ineffective and uneconomical. When loading and unloading the parts 4, the sides of the fingers 3 are simultaneously pressed in the horizontal pressing direction X and Y so as to form a space between the fingers 3, and a part 4 to be loaded or unloaded is lifted up or lowered down. However, since peripheral devices performing such operations are complex, the overall volume of equipment is large, and costs are increased, the integrated type feeder belt 1 is scarcely used recently.
The separated and coupled type feeder belt 1, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,745, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, is structured such that a belt body 2 and a finger 3 are manufactured independently and the finger 3 is installed in the belt body 2. In the separated and coupled type feeder belt, when loading and unloading the strip-shaped parts 4, since there is a structural shortcoming in that a side of the finger 3 is pressed in the upward pressing direction C, the finger 3 is frequently separated from the belt body 2 by the separation of the finger 3 from an installation part 5 of the belt body 2 positioned at the upper side of the finger 3. Moreover, the separated and coupled type feeder belt has disadvantages in that peripheral devices performing such operations are complex, the overall volume of equipment is large, and costs are increased, the frequency and likelihood of malfunction is high, and maintenance is difficult.
Particularly, due to the structure of coupling the finger 3 with the belt body 2, since a gripping part 6 of the finger 3, provided at the leading end of the finger 3 is pivoted upward about a hinge 7 due to a force applied in the upward direction C and pivoted in the reverse direction of the upward direction C when the finger 3 is returned to its original position, the part 4 is slid down or pushed together with the gripping part 6, causing unstable loading of the part 4, in the worst case, a serious situation such that the part 4 could be separated from the feeder belt 1 during feeding due to the unstable loading of the part 4, may be happened.
In addition, a conventional feeder belt, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, is one of the separated and coupled type feeder belt in which a finger 3 is coupled with a belt body 2. However, since the finger 3 is manufactured such that a support 8 is made of a thin plate by pressing and an elastic support 9 is made by bending a wire, and the support 8 is coupled with the elastic support 9, the conventional feeder belt has a complex structure and requires a lot of materials so that costs for production are increased and uneconomic. Moreover, the fundamental problems of the conventional feeder belt shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, which result in malfunction during loading and unloading, have yet to be solved.
The conventional feeder belt shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is the separated and coupled type feeder belt, wherein a finger 3 has an installation part 5 and a gripping part 6 formed at the ends thereof and an elastic hinge 7′ and a direction changing part 9′ formed between the installation part 5 and the gripping part 6 and respectively inserted into an installation hole 2a and opening 2b. According to the finger 3, the gripping part 6 is opened and closed by pressing and releasing the direction changing part 9′ in the horizontal direction when loading and unloading the parts so that peripheral devices are simply structured. However, the conventional feeder belt has the following disadvantages.
First, in connection with the coil spring-shaped elastic hinge 7′ of the finger 3, since the direction changing part 9′ is pressed in the forward direction when loading and unloading the parts 4, the coil spring-shaped elastic hinge 7′ is not pressed repeatedly in the direction of winding the coil spring-shaped elastic hinge 7′ but in the direction of forcing the coil spring-shaped elastic hinge 7′ to be released. For the above reasons, the finger 3, made of an elastic wire, undergoes fatigue so that the finger 3 is easily broken and its life span becomes shorter.
Secondly, since the direction changing part 9′ of the finger 3, regardless of being made in the form of a spring or simply being bent, connects the installation part 5 to the gripping part 6 via the elastic hinge 7′, the direction changing part 9′ simply integrates the elastic hinge 7′ and the gripping part 6 with the finger 3 to form an angle therebetween.
Thirdly, since the feeder belt has the elastic installation function of coupling the finger 3 with the belt body 2 when the elastic hinge 7′ of the finger 3 is installed in the installation hole 2a of the belt body 2, and the elastic gripping function of generating gripping power of the gripping part 6 when the gripping part 6 is pivoted about the center 7′a of the elastic hinge 7′, i.e. since the feeder belt is structured such that the installation function and the gripping function are simultaneously applied to a portion of the elastic hinge 7′ and the functions or effects are exhibited during the operation of the finger 3, it is difficult to balance the functions during the operation of the finger 3, so that smooth operation of the finger 3 cannot be achieved.